The Lost Books of Jane Austen by Janine Barchas review – how Austen's reputation has been warped

A deliciously original study of the cheap editions of Pride and Prejudice and other novels – ignored by literary scholars – casts new light on her readershipJane Austen aficionados think that they know the story of their favourite author’s posthumous dis-appearance and then re-emergence. For half a century after she died in 1817, her books were little known or read. A few discriminating admirers such as George Henry Lewes and Lord Macaulay kept the flame of her reputation burning, but most novelists and novel readers were oblivious to her. Then, in 1869, her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh published a memoir about her and the public got interested. Her novels started being republished and widely read. She has never looked back.Janine Barchas’s The Lost Books of Jane Austen puts us right. Her book about books is a beautifully illustrated exploration, indeed compendium, of the popular editions of Austen’s novels that have appeared over the last two centuries. This includes those decades when Austen was supposedly lost from sight. The first chapter is a “vignette” on a copy of Sense and Sensibility, published in 1851 for George Routledge’s Railway Library (books suitable for reading on the train). It cost one shilling and was bought for the 13-year-old Gertrude Wallace, the youngest daughter of a Plymouth naval officer. It is the first of many examples of cheap and popular editions of Austen’s work that kept it alive for ordinary readers and that literary scholars have... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-12-11 07:30:31 UTC ]

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Hanif Kureishi to publish memoir about accident that left him paralysed

Shattered, out in 2024, will expand on the material the Buddha of Suburbia author has been sharing on social media from his hospital bed since a fall in Rome last yearThe novelist and screenwriter Hanif Kureishi will publish a memoir in 2024 about the accident that left him paralysed last year.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-18 11:05:08 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Chita: A Memoir,’ by Chita Rivera with Patrick Pacheco

Her new memoir finds the 90-year-old singer-dancer hungry for acclaim, but generous to others on her way to getting it. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-17 09:00:22 UTC ]
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Charkin: ‘The Challenges of International Diplomacy’

Publication day: 'The IPA continues to quietly do good work in the background' on the freedom to publish and diplomacy, writes Richard Charkin in 'My Back Pages'—his memoir releasing today. The post Charkin: ‘The Challenges of International Diplomacy’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-04-17 04:05:03 UTC ]
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Why so much hype? Being on Granta’s best young novelists list has its drawbacks | Sarah Hall

In 2013, I was one of the chosen 20. Today, I still question the accolades and gimmickry around making the gradeIn 2013, the fourth Granta Best of Young British Novelists (BYBN) list was published, and I was among the 20 writers selected. I was 39 and had published four novels and received... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-16 10:00:08 UTC ]
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Granta 163: Best of Young British Novelists 5 review – more solipsism than state of the nation

The latest celebration of emerging literary talent brings thrills, charm and emotional punch to the page. But this new generation have taken an inward turn compared with the more worldly themes of bygone yearsEvery decade since 1983, an editor of the literary quarterly Granta has tasked a panel... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-16 06:00:03 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Stalking Shakespeare: A Memoir of Madness, Murder, and My Search for the Poet Beneath the Paint,’ by Lee Durkee

In “Stalking Shakespeare,” Lee Durkee describes his quest to find a true, authentic image of the famous playwright, a search that becomes a tragicomic tale in its own right. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-15 09:00:13 UTC ]
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Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists – meet the class of 23

From Kazuo Ishiguro to Zadie Smith, Granta’s list has been spotlighting future stars since 1983. Four decades on, what does its evolution says about our literary landscape?Last month, a reformed Glaswegian gang member, a former personal trainer and a Booker prize winner all glammed up for a... Continue reading at The Guardian

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Lucinda Williams Tells Her Secrets

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Are these the most influential novelists of 2023?

This week, TIME magazine published its list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2023. And . . . it’s surprisingly literary! I mean, it’s not that literary, but considering that the TIME editors typically limit themselves to a single novelist among the 100, books seem to be coming up in the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

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Book Deals: Week of April 17, 2023

Knopf buys a memoir from WNBA star Brittney Griner, and Teju Cole sells his second novel to Random House. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Here is the Granta 2023 Best of British Novelists list.

A new drop of choice up-and-coming novelists has arrived on the morning tide. Granta magazine has announced its 2023 Best of British Novelists list, geared to future stars, including picks from Sigrid Rausing, Rachel Cusk, Helen Oyeyemi, Tash Aw, and Brian Dillon. The team picked a host of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-13 13:57:54 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: April 13, 2023

Omer Aziz on finding himself trapped between East and West in Jerusalem: “Everywhere I went there had been an implicit question everyone seemed to be asking: What side are you on?” | Lit Hub Memoir Books from the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner, the most important arts patron you’ve never heard... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-13 10:30:31 UTC ]
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Granta reveals its pick of future star British novelists

The journal’s once-in-a-decade selection of the best fiction writers under 40 has broadened its selection of 20 to include authors who ‘regard the UK as their home’Granta magazine’s Best of British Novelists list, which hails the literary stars of the future, has this year expanded to include... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-13 07:00:37 UTC ]
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Brittney Griner’s Memoir to Be Published

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[ Book Riot | 2023-04-12 16:24:45 UTC ]
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On Writing ‘Blind Bitter Happiness’

‘When I was put on Granta’s first Best of Young British Novelists list in 1983, no novel of mine had been published.’ The post On Writing ‘Blind Bitter Happiness’ appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta

[ Granta | 2023-04-12 15:52:21 UTC ]
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Brittney Griner Is Writing a Memoir About Her Detention in Russia

The basketball star, who was detained for 10 months, said she hoped her book would raise awareness about other Americans who had been wrongfully detained abroad. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-12 14:16:29 UTC ]
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'Always Running' is more than cholo lit — it's a manual for L.A.'s salvation

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Lit Hub Daily: April 12, 2023

“What had I done, insisting on more of us?” Maggie Smith on the anxious, silent first year of motherhood. | Lit Hub Memoir We asked, you answered: Here are 22 (more) adaptations better than the books they’re based on. | Lit Hub Film & TV Naomi Kanakia on literary transphobia. | Lit Hub... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-12 10:30:47 UTC ]
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Brittney Griner’s memoir will be a spring 2024 title.

Olympian and WNBA star Brittney Griner will co-write a memoir about her experience being detained by Russia in 2022 while headed over to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, Deadline reports. Griner was behind bars for 10 months as the diplomatic debacle played out, and will recount: the harrowing... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-11 18:23:05 UTC ]
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Hay Festival 2023

Hay Festival is the world’s leading festival of ideas across literature, bringing readers and some of the brightest thinkers of our time together to inspire, examine and entertain. This international celebration of literature, music, and the arts is set to take place in the stunning Welsh... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2023-04-11 14:44:07 UTC ]
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